2 Compartment Septic Tank

The effluent comes in through the pipe on the left and is deposited into the main chamber of the
septic tank. If the solids are denser than water they will fall straight to the bottom of the tank and
the less dense solids and the greases will float at the surface. The solids that sink to the bottom
right away are digested by bacteria and the same goes for the solids that float on top. Bacteria
can digest most of the organic matter in human effluent but they cannot digest all of it. The
materials that they cannot digest settle to the bottom of the septic tank and we call this material
sludge. It is the sludge that is pumped during routine septic tank maintenance. Grease and other
insoluble materials will stay afloat on the surface of the tank. The water in the tank is not pure
water, it is called gray water because it still contains organic materials that need to be filtered out.
As more water enters the effluent pipe coming from your house the water level inside the septic
tank rises and gray water will exit through the sewage pipe on the right and head towards the
drainage field.

There are generally three access ports at the top of the septic tank. The access port in the middle
is what a septic pumping service would open when they are going to pump out the septic tank.
The other two ports are located directly above the incoming pipe and the outgoing pipe. They
provide easy access in case one of the pipes is blocked or clogged. Your septic tank may also
have two different compartments. It is designed this way so that the sludge remains
predominantly on one side of the tank so that it does not make its way into the sewage pipe that
goes the drainage field. If the sludge builds up high enough so that it does enter the drainage
tube and goes the drainage field, you are going to have some major septic tank problems in the
near future.

Below you will see a schematic of a septic tank and a drainage field.
 Septic System & Drain Field

As you can see in the diagram, the tube that leaves the septic tank goes to a pipe system which
is called the drainage field. The pipe system is perforated to allow the gray water to exit and it
exits into a specifically created soil bed of crushed rock and other ingredients. If the sludge from
the septic tank makes its way into the drainage field it can clog these perforated tubes and end up
causing major damage. This can lead to septic system failure which is something that you
definitely want to avoid.

In the diagram below you will see what happens to the water when it leaves the drainage field.
 Septic Tank Greywater Filter

The gray water that leaves the perforated tubing in the drainage field either goes up to the
surface in small amounts and is evaporated or filters its way through the ground. As the water
makes its way through the ground it becomes more and more clean and by the time it reaches
the groundwater it is once again drinkable. You will notice in the diagram that there is a well and
that is where the filtered water will end up. Anyone who lives on a well should have their water
tested regularly for bacteria because if there is bacteria in the water that means your septic
system is failing. If you discover that your septic system is failing you need to address the
problem immediately.

There are other septic tank designs, most notably an aerator septic tank. The design of the
aerator septic tank is basically the same as a traditional septic tank. The major difference is that
there is a mechanism that introduces air into the gray water inside the septic tank. This allows for
aerobic bacteria to digest the human effluent rather than anaerobic bacteria that are found in
traditional septic tanks. The reason this is important is because aerobic bacteria work a lot faster
than anaerobic bacteria. See the diagram below for an example of a basic aerobic septic
system design.

Aerobic Septic System

Essentially the septic tank is just a holding area for human affluence while it is being degraded.
So it could even be in the shape of an airplane, as long as it does what it is supposed to do; the
shape and actual design of the septic tank does not really matter. The design of the standard
septic tank is usually a concrete box because that is the easiest to build and cheapest to
manufacture and it works. Considering the job it is supposed to do and the fact that it is buried in
the ground the actual look of the septic tank is of no consequence.